


Heathers - Seungjin

by cereal_and_sadness



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Based on Heathers, Heathers: The Musical References, M/M, Musical References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 11,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cereal_and_sadness/pseuds/cereal_and_sadness
Summary: "I still hate his guts, but I'll admit kissing him onstage is kind of really nice."CROSSPOSTED ON WATTPAD @ cereal-and-sadness
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 47
Kudos: 164





	1. Lights Down

_"I still hate his guts, but I'll admit kissing him onstage is kind of really nice."_

♡ 

Hello, and welcome to my new seungjin book!

This will be updated daily, beginning June 22, 2020, at around 9:00 PST.

If I'm a bit late I apologise in advance. Thank you for understanding :) 

Heathers musical AU 

Hope you enjoy! 

♡ cas 


	2. Track 01: Beautiful

"Seungmin, the cast list is being posted after school! Hurry your slow ass up before I leave you here," Felix shouted, shoving his best friend through the crowded hallway. 

The younger tried to shrug Felix's hand off of his backpack, but to no avail. Felix was determined to see the cast list and nothing would stop him – hence using Seungmin as a human bulldozer in order to weave through the students moving far too slowly through the halls. 

After what felt like an eternity to Felix, but was only three minutes in reality, they reached the theatre hall. The bulletin board outside the auditorium was still empty, but students were already beginning to gather around it in anticipation. There were two minutes until the end-of-day bell would ring, and that meant two minutes until the students who auditioned for the musical would find out whether or not they'd made the cut. 

Ms. Son marched out into the hallway clutching a sheet of paper in her left hand. Despite her short stature she carried herself with such confidence that students moved to clear a path for her as soon as they noticed her presence. With a glittery red tack, she pinned the page to the bulletin board and left just as quickly as she'd arrived. 

Students surged forward to see the list. Felix and Seungmin, having been at the front of the crowd, were practically pushed up against the wall. Fortunately, that meant they had the best view of the list. They both scanned the page, anxiously searching for their names.

**Veronica Sawyer .......... Kim Seungmin**

The boy squealed and jumped up and down, rejoicing at having been cast as the lead. He searched for Felix's name after he'd found his own. 

**Heather Chandler .......... Lee Felix**

They high fived and cheered even louder when they noticed that the other two Heathers would also be played by their friends. Heather Duke was to be played by Han Jisung, and Heather McNamara by Yang Jeongin. Having attended an all-boys school, none of them were surprised to see that Felix was the queen bee, a title he would wear proudly, shooting down anyone who dared call him a king rather than his rightful title as queen. His friends found this hilarious, shouting and laughing loudly. 

Seungmin's celebration was interrupted as he was shoved forcefully away from the board. He hit the ground with a grunt and looked up at the person who had pushed him. The person didn't even offer Seungmin a glance, let alone an apology. But what else could he have expected from Hwang Hyunjin? 

Said boy finally looked down at Seungmin, who still hadn't stood up. By now, all other students had dispersed to the rest of the school or begun making their way home. Seungmin and his friends – as well as Hyunjin – were the only few who remained. There was a tense silence, as if this was some sort of standoff. 

Hyunjin chuckled when Seungmin scowled up at him. "Don't go acting like you hate me, Seungmin," the elder teased, "Because for the next few months, I'm your boyfriend." 

Baffled, Seungmin scrambled to his feet. "No," he whispered to himself, once more scanning the cast list, but no longer in search of his friends. He reread the line several times, praying that his eyes had deceived him, but every time it still read:

**Jason Dean .......... Hwang Hyunjin**

"Fuck." 

  
  



	3. Track 02: Candy Store

"Welcome, everyone," Ms. Son announced. She stood on the apron of the stage as her cast sat in the creaky auditorium seats before her. "I assume you've all been listening to the soundtrack and paying attention to your parts like I asked?" She raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. A flat, mumbled chorus of yeses drifted up from the crowd. "Ew," she sneered, "Is that the kind of energy you guys are going to have for this show? Let's try that again. I said, have you all begun practicing for this show like I asked you to?" This time, an enthusiastic and unified 'yes' was shouted by the cast members, and Ms. Son nodded. 

Her assistant director stood behind her staring at the crowd, taking note of who had arrived for rehearsal on time. Everyone was accounted for – everyone except Hwang Hyunjin. 

She clapped her hands twice and began barking instructions. "Ensemble, follow Ms. Park to the choir room. Heathers, Veronica, and JD, come with me. Martha, Kurt, and Ram, go find Ms. Yoo – she should be in the theatre room.” 

Everyone did as they were told. The leads climbed up onto the stage and stood in a semicircle around Ms. Son. 

“Hey, where’s my JD?” She asked, looking around. The four students surrounding her all shrugged, then jumped when the auditorium door flew open loudly and Hyunjin stumbled in. Ms. Son was unamused. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Hyunjin to join his cast members. “So nice of you to join us, Hyunjin,” she announced, “You’re only twenty minutes late. Which means you owe me twenty minutes after rehearsal. Seungmin, you too.” 

Seungmin threw his hands up in the air. “Why do I have to stay? I was on time!” 

“Because you’re in his scenes, and I’m not going to play Veronica for you. Plus, it’ll be extra practice for you,” the director deadpanned. “Both of you had better commit to these roles, because your understudies would kill to take over for you. And if you don’t put in real effort, I’ll let them.” 

Hyunjin nodded, but his smug smirk never left his face. Seungmin, however, was mortified. He had been thrilled when the school announced they’d be performing  _ Heathers. _ After all, Veronica Sawyer was his dream role, and he was ready to do whatever it took to keep it, even if that meant putting up with Hyunjin. 

“Fine,” he grumbled, “Hyunjin, come with me. We need to run our lines while Ms. Son works with the Heathers on ‘Candy Store’.” 

  
  



	4. Track 03: Fight for Me

“Seungmin, Hyunjin!” Ms. Son slammed her script down onto the table. “This number is called fight  _ for _ me, not fight  _ with _ me. Can’t you two stop bitching at each other for five minutes so we don’t have to keep starting over? The ensemble is going to hate you both if they have to sing ‘holy shit’ one more time.” 

Hyunjin scoffed. “It’s not my fault he can’t act!” He gestured at Seungmin, who stomped forward to shove Hyunjin. 

“I can act, but no one can pretend to like you enough to play this role properly,” he growled, jamming one finger into Hyunjin’s chest. He tried to look intimidating, but the fact that he had to look up to meet Hyunjin’s eyes really didn’t help his case in the slightest. 

Felix stepped in between the pair and calmly pushed them apart. “Seungmin, just forget that that’s Hyunjin. For now, that’s JD. And you’re not Seungmin. You’re Veronica.” He pushed both boys toward each other again and patted their shoulders. “And Veronica thinks JD is hot shit.” 

“Whatever, take five,” Ms. Son shouted. 

“Thank you, five!” The whole cast shouted in response, all wandering off. 

Felix, Jisung, and Jeongin all approached the two leads, who were still standing centre stage glaring at each other. Felix laughed, earning bitter scowls from both boys. 

Hyunjin spat, “What are you so happy about? We kill you after a couple more songs.” 

The Australian shrugged. “It’s just funny to see that you two have to try to like each other. You’re terrible at it.” He punched Seungmin’s shoulder. “You can hardly smile at him, what are you gonna do when you have to kiss him?”

“When I have to  _ what?! _ ” 

“Minnie,” Jisung cut in, “This is your favourite musical. You know Veronica and JD kiss a lot. They practically fuck onstage during ‘Dead Girl Walking’.” He placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It’s okay, dude. Just pretend it’s someone you like instead of Hyunjin.” 

“I’m right here,” Hyunjin grumbled. 

Seungmin shrugged Jisung’s hand off and frowned at Hyunjin. “You know how to stage kiss, right?” Hyunjin nodded. Seungmin smiled and stated, “Perfect. That way we don’t actually have to kiss. You assholes underestimate me.” He pointed between the Heathers as he uttered the last sentence. They all pretended to be hurt, and Seungmin only laughed. 

  
  



	5. Track 04: Freeze Your Brain

Ms. Son didn’t even bother pulling the leads aside to yell at them, she did it in front of all the cast and crew. 

“You two are going to have to kiss eventually. You’ve nearly perfected everything in your scenes  _ except _ for that. Seungmin, it’s not that big of a deal, so stop smacking him when he tries to kiss you,” she scolded, “Because if you can’t handle one kiss, you’ll never be able to handle ‘Dead Girl Walking’. But Hajoon will, and I’m pretty sure he wants your role just so he can be the one to kiss Hyunjin.” 

Seungmin’s understudy blushed. Hyunjin noticed and smirked, winking at the shy boy. Seungmin grabbed the front of Hyunjin’s shirt and pulled him closer. “Hey, asshole, quit drooling over Hajoon and focus on our scene. God, this is part of why I can’t fucking stand you.” He sucked in a quick breath and shut his eyes tight. “But if the only way I keep my role is kissing you, then so be it. Just get it over with.” 

Hyunjin’s smug smirk hadn’t faded. He feigned innocence as he asked, “Get what over with? You’re gonna have to be specific.” 

“Just kiss me, dickhead,” Seungmin growled. As planned, Hyunjin took hold of the younger’s face in both hands, covering the boy’s lips with his thumbs. That way, when he leaned in for their “kiss” he’d kiss his thumbs and it would appear real, but they’d never actually kiss. 

The ensembled whooped and hollered, but Ms. Son simply shook her head. “You’re not gonna be able to do that every time, guys,” she warned, “There are points where you’re actually going to have to kiss. Get comfortable with the idea quickly unless you don’t want these roles.” 

“Fine,” they mumbled together. 

“Okay, everyone! Good work today. I need you all to keep practicing the choreography for ‘Big Fun’ and ‘Beautiful’ at home. Ms. Yoo won’t be here to direct dancing tomorrow, so Minho will be doing it instead. Bye!” Everyone turned to leave, but Ms. Son called out to two boys, instructing them to stay. “You two have the same homework as everybody else,” she began, “but you have an additional assignment. You two need to get more comfortable with each other because we are working on ‘Dead Girl Walking’ on Thursday. I like you two as these characters, so I’d hate to see you have to forfeit them.” 

Seungmin hesitantly raised his hand. “Are you saying our homework is to figure out how to kiss onstage without trying to throw hands?” 

The director nodded. “I don’t care if you have to put a Dowoon poster over his face, you need to figure this out, and fast. Okay, that’s all my notes for you guys today. Goodnight!” 

“Hey, um…” Hyunjin scratched the back of his neck, staring at the floor. “Do you want to come over? I can give you a ride home after. I just really don’t want to let Yeonmin play JD.” 

Begrudgingly, Seungmin nodded and followed Hyunjin out to the parking lot. 

  
  



	6. Track 05: Big Fun

Track 05: Big Fun

Seungmin was silent the entire drive to Hyunjin’s house. He stared straight out the windshield and paid no attention to the boy driving. After a fifteen minute journey, Hyunjin’s truck rolled to a stop in front of a blue house. 

“We’re here,” he stated, “We’re gonna be in my room, if that’s okay.” Seungmin shrugged, still unhappy about the situation. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed Hyunjin inside and down the stairs to the basement. 

He was surprised by Hyunjin’s room. It was simple and neat – pale green walls and navy blue sheets, a glass desk in the corner, and a bookshelf against the far wall. As Hyunjin set his stuff down and got situated, Seungmin wandered toward his bookshelf, gently running his fingertips over the delicate spines of the books. He was astonished by Hyunjin’s collection of classical literature. He smiled softly. Maybe they did have something in common, after all. 

Hyunjin cleared his throat and patted the bed next to him. Seungmin obediently took a seat next to the older boy. “I know you hate me, but please just try to put that aside for a while,” he pleaded, “But I want to stay JD… and I don’t want Hajoon to play Veronica.” He stared down at his sheets nervously. “I don’t want to kiss Hajoon, so just try to ignore all your resentment for a few minutes, please.” 

Seungmin nodded, surprising himself. This was the first time he had ever seen Hyunjin so vulnerable. Normally the boy was cocky and confident, arrogant even. But now he almost seemed distraught. 

“Why do you seem so nervous?” Seungmin tried not to sound rude, but he didn’t quite achieve his goal. 

Hyunjin sighed. “My parents are coming to see the show opening night,” he whispered, “This is the first of my shows they’ll have ever attended. I want to impress them.” He wouldn’t meet Seungmin’s eyes. “They don’t like that I do this sort of thing, and I want them to see that it’s worthwhile. But let me tell you right now, if you tell anyone, and I mean  _ anyone _ , I will end your shit with no hesitation. Got it?”

“Jesus Christ, dude. Yeah, I got it. Don’t get all emo on me.” Seungmin tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but realised his timing was wrong. So instead he set his hand on Hyunjin’s knee and whispered, “I get it. My parents don’t come to my shows either. So, fine, I’ll help you try to impress your parents.” 

The elder flung his arms around Seungmin for a brief moment, but they both pulled away quickly, embarrassed. 

“So… how are we supposed to do this?” Seungmin asked. “Like, we  _ actually _ have to kiss?” He shuddered. 

Hyunjin ran his fingers through Seungmin’s hair, effectively silencing the boy. “Let me know if you need me to stop,” he whispered, pulling Seungmin closer. Both boys were slightly shocked when Hyunjin gently connected their lips. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, but their hearts were racing. 

They both knew that the show required more than such a simple and sweet kiss. They were frightened and exhilarated and bitter all at once. Neither of them ever could’ve predicted they’d be in this situation, especially after the years they’d spent bickering and constantly annoying each other. Had you told either of them two years ago that someday they’d be sitting on Hyunjin’s bed kissing, they’d have laughed in your face and then punched each other. 

Yet here they were. 

  
  



	7. Track 06: Dead Girl Walking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> usually i post a chapter a day, on wattpad and then ao3, but ive been slacking on posting here bc ao3 doesn't have an app, so 'dead girl walking' is posted on ao3 early to make up for it <3

“What about for ‘Dead Girl Walking’?” Seungmin breathed. “That’s… completely different. Should we…” 

Hyunjin nodded, not meeting Seungmin’s eyes. “If you’re okay with it,” he whispered. 

Seungmin shrugged. “I don’t really have a choice, right?”

“No, I guess not,” Hyunjin mumbled. “Don’t freak out, okay?” 

He grabbed the younger boy by his hips, hoisting him onto Hyunjin’s lap. They sat silently staring at each other, waiting anxiously to see what would happen next. 

In one swift movement, Hyunjin pulled Seungmin impossibly closer at the same time as he connected their lips. Seungmin gasped at the sudden action, and Hyunjin took this opportunity to deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue into Seungmin’s mouth and yanking on the boy’s hair. The younger let out a pathetic whimper at the feeling, wrapping his arms around Hyunjin’s neck and leaning further into the kiss. 

After a few minutes they pulled away, both blushing and breathless. 

“Um…” Hyunjin absentmindedly traced circles on Seungmin’s hip as he nervously considered what to say. “In ‘Dead Girl Walking’, we, uh… kinda have to—” 

Seungmin interrupted him. “I know. I’m not thrilled about this part.” 

“You don’t need to—”

“No, it’s not about you,” Seungmin whispered, “Like this it’s not as weird, but I hate the idea of being half-naked onstage. Everybody would see me. God, it sounds horrible.” He covered his face with his hands and shook his head, trying to push away the anxious thoughts. 

Hyunjin took one of Seungmin’s hands and pulled it away from his face and toward himself. He placed the boy’s hand on the first button on his shirt. “We’re both gonna have to be embarrassed, Seungmin. But if we get comfortable with no audience it’ll be easier once people are there,” he reasoned, “And we have to get good at undoing buttons quickly, because this scene doesn’t exactly take things slow.” Seungmin fidgeted with the button between his fingers, nervously running through the scene in his head. “It’s okay,” Hyunjin whispered, “We’re gonna have to do this at some point anyway. Go ahead. It’s alright.”

Seungmin nervously fumbled with the buttons on Hyunjin’s shirt as he refused to look at the boy. He was still on Hyunjin’s lap, but he deliberately avoided eye contact. He stared at the green walls, the bookshelf, anything he could force himself to focus on that wasn’t Hyunjin. By the time he had undone all the buttons, Seungmin’s face was bright red. He knew it was necessary for the scene, but that didn’t help make it any less awkward for him. 

He hesitantly placed his hands on the elder’s bare waist, pushing him down slightly until his back hit the mattress. He timidly kissed Hyunjin, praying the boy would respond and that he wasn’t going too far. This wasn’t even all the scene required of them; how could this have been too far? He breathed a sigh of relief when Hyunjin pulled him closer to kiss him. 

Seungmin was the first to pull away, resting his forehead against Hyunjin’s. They both lay there panting, surprised at how smoothly this rehearsal had gone. Nervously, Seungmin climbed off Hyunjin, gathering his things. 

“I think I should get home,” he muttered. 

Hyunjin nodded and led Seungmin back outside, following the boy’s directions toward his house. Hyunjin waved from the window as Seungmin walked up the driveway. He rolled down the window to shout, “Thank you!”

  
  



	8. Track 07: The Me Inside of Me

Seungmin clapped a hand over Felix’s mouth when the boy began screaming. 

“Shut the fuck up, Felix,” he hissed, “Do you not realise we’re in public? There are classes going on right now.” 

Felix rolled his eyes. “Uh, do you not realise that you made out with  _ the _ Hwang Hyunjin? Why aren’t you the one screaming?” He smirked and stated, “You’re lucky, Minnie. He’s so hot! Damn, if I had a boy like that I’d—”

“Thanks, Lix, but I’m really not interested in hearing about whatever weird sexual fantasies you have about Hwang Hyunjin,” Seungmin grumbled. “And you’re getting worked up over nothing. We just kissed because we have to kiss for the show. Don’t read into it so much.” 

The Australian didn’t even bother to swallow his sandwich as he spoke up again. “How can you say that?!” He spit lettuce all over their lunch table as he continued, “From what you told me yesterday, it was far more than ‘just a kiss’. So tell me…” he leaned over the table to get in Seungmin’s face. “Was he a good kisser?” 

Seungmin scoffed and shoved Felix back into his seat. Just then, Jisung walked up and took a seat next to Felix. He noticed Seungmin pouting across the table and nudged Felix. “What’s he so pissy about?” He whispered. 

“Our Veronica had a rather interesting encounter with Mr. JD last night,” Felix mused, “And he’s mad at me because I asked him if Hyunjin’s a good kisser.” 

“Oh, fuck! You kissed Hyunjin?!” Jisung’s voice boomed across the cafeteria, and he smiled awkwardly when he realised everyone’s eyes were on him. Seungmin shoved his face into his backpack, feeling ashamed. After a few moments of silence, the lunchroom’s chatter faded in again as everyone lost interest in Jisung’s yelling. 

Seungmin kept his face hidden in his backpack even when someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Go away, Felix,” he grumbled, “Haven’t you two embarrassed me enough for one day? Just let me hide here for a while.” 

A smooth, calm voice responded to him, and Seungmin was even more mortified to know that it was neither Jisung nor Felix. 

“That’s kind of cute, Seungmin,” he teased, “You told your friends?” Across the table, Jisung and Felix sat fully attentive to the situation unfolding in front of them. They were so going to make fun of him for this later. 

Hyunjin gently ran his hand down Seungmin’s back, tracing his spine with one finger. “Come on,” he whispered, “Is your backpack really more interesting to see than me?” Seungmin couldn’t see Hyunjin, but he could practically hear the boy’s douchey smirk. 

“Yes,” he said, his voice mumbled. “I’d rather talk to my backpack than you any day.” He squeaked in shock when he was suddenly pulled away from his backpack by gentle hands on his shoulders. He looked up at Hyunjin, whose face was painted with a soft, amused smile. Seungmin scowled. “I’m gonna kill you.” 

Hyunjin chuckled at what the small boy had said, but yelped in surprise when he was tackled to the floor. Both he and Seungmin had fallen off the bench and hit the tile floor as Seungmin raised a fist to punch Hyunjin. 

But then he became more aware of the situation and hesitated. He was at school. His best friends were watching. But the realisation that struck him most was that he and Hyunjin were practically in the same position as they had been when rehearsing the scene the night before. Hyunjin tried to stifle his laugh as Seungmin slowly lowered his hand. 

“Ah, I get it,” Hyunjin said, “You wanted to run our scene again. Perfect. You’ve already got us set up for it.” He winked and sat up with Seungmin still in his lap, holding onto the dumbfounded boy’s hips. 

Felix snorted loudly, drawing the pair out of their trance. They finally broke eye contact and instead stared at the floor to hide their flushed faces. “Rehearsal today is going to be fucking hilarious,” Felix said, high fiving Jisung. Seungmin and Hyunjin still hadn’t moved. 

They were both paralysed by the thought of having to do this in front of other people. It was embarrassing enough when it was just the two of them, but now it was with thirty other people, and eventually with several hundred. 

They were doomed. 


	9. Track 08: Blue

While waiting for rehearsal to begin, Seungmin and Hyunjin sat on opposite sides of the auditorium, ignoring each other. Jisung and Felix sat in the wings informing Jeongin of all the tea he had missed thus far. The three of them were thrilled for today’s rehearsal. Felix had his phone in his hand at all times in case he could take photos to make fun of Seungmin. As terrible as it sounds, it was just their friendship dynamic: they were always a bit mean to each other. 

“Okay, everyone! Places!” Ms. Son walked in and began shouting (as usual). “I need to work with the leads for a bit today, so you guys need to run group scenes. Seungkwan will be staying here. Treat him with the same respect you treat me, got it?” The cast shouted in affirmation and found their way to their places for ‘Lifeboat’ and the reprise version of ‘Shine a Light’. These scenes required the Heathers, but not Veronica or JD, so they ran smoothly. 

Meanwhile in the choir room, Ms. Son stared at Seungmin and Hyunjin, who wouldn’t even look at each other. She crossed her arms and sat down on the piano bench. “So why are you guys silent? Normally you’d have tried to kill each other by now.” 

Seungmin whispered, “It doesn’t matter. What do we need to work on today?” 

“We’re figuring out blocking for ‘Dead Girl Walking’. Minho and Seungkwan will be here in ten minutes to help,” Ms. Son explained. “They’re bringing your understudies, just in case you guys choke — and, no, that’s not an invitation for you two to murder each other.” 

For the first time since rehearsal started, Hyunjin and Seungmin made eye contact, a silent agreement that they’d keep their roles no matter how awkward it would be for them. Seungmin was surprised to find Hyunjin sitting so close beside him. He was holding his phone and had a video pulled up: the stage version of the original ‘Dead Girl Walking’. 

Despite having listened to the musical’s soundtrack over and over again, Seungmin still snorted with laughter at certain lines in the song. He laughed so hard at “I’ve decided I must ride you till I break you” that no one could even hear the line that followed. Fortunately Seungmin knew the words anyway. The ensemble was permitted to leave early and Minho and Seungkwan entered the choir room to take Hyunjin and Seungmin back to the auditorium so they could work on the stage. Their understudies sat in the audience, watching carefully. 

“Okay, Hyunjin, you’ll be on the centre platform sleeping. Seungmin enters stage left and starts the song,” Seungkwan instructed, pointing at the stage with his pen. “And Seungmin, as soon as you sing ‘I’m snapping off your window lock’, you’re gonna climb the stairs to the platform. Hyunjin, that’s when you wake up.” Both actors did as they were told, clumsily running through their stage directions. 

Minho stepped in next to Seungkwan and read the script over his shoulder. “Okay, Veronica unbuttons her blazer at ‘come on’, but you don’t have a blazer, so for now just pantomime it. Seungkwan, can you add a note to costumes that they still haven’t gotten him that blue blazer?” Minho looked up and tried not to chuckle as he asked, “Seungmin, how comfortable are you wearing a skirt for this scene?” 

Seungmin blushed slightly and shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind,” he mumbled, staring at the floor. 

“Great! Because you shove JD to the ground and he lowkey puts his hands up your skirt for a second while you yell at him,” Seungkwan declared, “I’m glad you guys are so chill with this.” He returned his attention to his script, blissfully unaware of the complete humiliation both boys onstage felt. 

Having watched the performance an unreasonable amount of times, Seungmin and Hyunjin both had a general idea of the blocking for the scene and how it corresponded with the music and their lines. Again, Seungmin had to pantomime throwing away his blazer and Hyunjin tried not to laugh at how ridiculous it looked. 

Minho took the script from the student director’s hands and sat in one of the seats in the front row. “Okay, so here Veronica climbs into JD’s lap, takes off his shirt, blah blah blah… I know you know this scene. You don’t need to actually kiss or take off any clothes during rehearsals, so don’t panic,” he instructed, “Uh, let’s see… Seungmin, don’t actually slap Hyunjin when you sing the line ‘slap me, pull my hair’, but Hyunjin, you actually do have to pull his hair, or at least pretend to.” 

The leads made awkward eye contact, knowing what came next in the scene. “Hey, since we know the scene already, can we just… skip the awkward grinding part?” Hyunjin asked. “We know what to do, but it’s a little weird running through this with no music and no rehearsal.” Minho and Seungkwan shrugged. 

“Sure,” Seungkwan answered, “But for dress rehearsals you can’t skip anything. We run through the whole show start to end, every day starting next week.” 

Minho set the script on the floor and winked. “Break a leg, guys.” 


	10. Track 09: Our Love is God

Later that week, Seungmin was back at Hyunjin’s house, once again rehearsing. They worked in Hyunjin’s room, performing their scenes together and running through their songs. By the time they got to ‘Dead Girl Walking’, Seungmin had grown worried. 

“You said this is the first of your shows your parents will have ever seen,” he said, “And you really want this show to be their first impression of you as a performer?” 

Hyunjin tilted his head and scrunched his nose. “What do you mean?” 

Seungmin sighed. “I mean, they don’t take you seriously right now; won’t they be pissed once they watch this scene? I mean, no parent wants to see some random guy practically riding their son onstage. If my parents saw me performing this scene, they’d beat the shit out of me for it. Are you not worried?” 

“Just because my parents aren’t involved in my life doesn’t mean they don’t love me,” Hyunjin explained, “And if they see that I have the professionalism to perform a scene as scandalous as this then they’ll see I’m a serious performer. But, Seungmin…? Why would your parents be upset with you for this?” 

The younger shifted awkwardly and decided to change the topic. “Are we gonna finish running our scenes, or what?” 

Hyunjin frowned. “Sure.” 

They decided to work on ‘Dead Girl Walking’, as it was their weakest scene and they had arrived at that part in their script anyway. Both boys were confident on their singing, but the choreography for the song was still iffy for them. They agreed that they’d first perfect the music, then the stage directions, and then they’d put the two together. 

And that’s how Seungmin ended up grinding on the boy he hated most in said boy’s bed. He had already removed Hyunjin’s shirt, as the script called for, and Hyunjin was supposed to undo the buttons on Seungmin’s shirt. He was a bit too rough with the action, however, and ended up removing several buttons as he tore the younger’s shirt, sending them flying across the room. They ignored it for the time being, determined to finish the scene as quickly and accurately as possible. The pair had grown completely immersed in their roles and could almost forget who they were performing with, as long as they got really in character. 

Normally, this would be a good thing. And when Seungmin pulled Hyunjin in for a feverish kiss, they thought it was a good thing. And then Hyunjin’s door swung open. 

  
  



	11. Track 10: My Dead Gay Son

Both boys looked up at the unexpected guest. Hyunjin was well aware of the compromising position he and Seungmin were in, but he was too panicked to move. He stared at his brother who stood motionless in the doorway, frantically searching for something to say. 

His best solution was to grab the script off his nightstand and hold it up. “We’re just rehearsing,” he panted. 

“Uh-huh,” his brother deadpanned, “I’m sure you are. Because every rehearsal requires you two to be shirtless and making out, right? That’s totally reasonable for a play.” He rolled his eyes and refocused his attention to Seungmin. “If you two are gonna fuck, do it at your house. Hyunjin, if I hear one sound from this room I’m calling dad, and you’ll be grounded for months.” 

Seungmin shakily climbed off of Hyunjin. He picked up his things almost silently and began to rush away, but Hyunjin stopped him. “I messed up your shirt,” he whispered. “You can wear one of mine home, okay?” 

Seungmin nodded and coyly pulled his shirt closer around himself, knowing it would never button properly again. Hyunjin handed Seungmin a faded blue t-shirt and muttered an apology. 

“I’ll get you a new shirt,” he promised, “And I’ll try to explain this  _ situation _ to Jinyoung later tonight.” The younger raised an eyebrow, so Hyunjin continued, “My brother. He’s not normally this rude, I swear. I’m sorry if he made you uncomfortable or anything.” 

As he removed his ruined shirt and replaced it with the one Hyunjin gave him, Seungmin stayed silent. He couldn’t figure out what to say. Should he thank Hyunjin for not freaking out when his brother arrived? No, that might be weird. Should he apologise for putting Hyunjin in a situation in which he looked so guilty? No, that would definitely be weird. So he settled for, “Don’t even worry about it. Thanks for letting me borrow your shirt; I’ll wash it and bring it back to you later this week.” 

Hyunjin smiled and said, “No, keep it. This is a good colour for you, and you look super cute wearing my clothes.” 

“I, uh… should go home now,” Seungmin stammered. He wasn’t used to Hyunjin being so nice to him, and it really caught him off guard. 

Normally Hyunjin was kind of an asshole. But now he was so soft and sweet. It made Seungmin nervous. 

  
  



	12. Track 11: Seventeen

Seungmin shoved Felix off the bed and threw a slipper at him. “Shut up!” He screeched, “You’re making a big deal out of nothing!”

“No fucking way,” Felix screamed equally loudly. “You said he was nice to you! You said he’s a good kisser. Are you starting to like Mr. Hwang Hyunjin?” He climbed back up onto the bed and wiggled his eyebrows at his best friend. 

Seungmin rolled his eyes. "He was nice to me once, okay? He gave me his shirt because he ripped mine. It was basic courtesy, which I guess is impressive for him anyway. And whatever, he's a good kisser. No big deal. I still hate his guts, but I’ll admit that kissing him onstage is kind of really nice,” he confessed, “But if you repeat that to anyone, I will strangle you to death with your stupid red scrunchie.” 

Felix’s face contorted into a mischievous grin as he leapt forward and tackled Seungmin. “You said he's impressive! Our little Minnie is living the enemies to lovers AU that we all aspire to have!” He wiped a fake tear. “I feel like a proud mother.” 

Once more, he was hit in the face with a slipper. The younger sat glaring, irked by Felix’s suggestion of him liking Hyunjin. Of course not. Seungmin and Hyunjin had hated each other since middle school; did Felix expect that to change just because they had to pretend to like each other for the show? 

“Not that anything happened or will  _ ever _ happen,” Seungmin droned, “But Hyunjin’s brother already hates me, so maybe it’s a sign from the universe to you saying, ‘Hey, idiot, get over these stupid ideas your fanfic-reading ass always has’. Does that sound about right? Literally every sign is saying it wouldn’t work. Most importantly, that we hate each other.” 

The Australian narrowed his eyes. “I don't think Hyunjin hates you, and I don't think you hate him, either. I think you're just a wimp and you get insecure when attractive people are around. But why does his brother hate you?” 

Seungmin buried his face in a pillow. “Never call Hyunjin attractive again, please. Hyunjin is the worst! And his brother sucks, too. He walked in on us rehearsing ‘Dead Girl Walking’ and got all pissy,” he explained. He shoved his face even further into the fluffy feather pillow in hopes that it would muffle his next statement. “And he said if we’re going to fuck, to do it here because he’d get Hyunjin in trouble otherwise.” 

Felix fell off the bed and held up a cross with his fingers. “You’re telling me we were sitting on your throne of sin?! I hope you super-cleaned your whole bed before you let me sit there. Why was I never informed that Hyunjin was here, and more importantly why was I never informed that you two hooked up?” 

“Because he’s never been here and we’ve never hooked up,” Seungmin answered simply. 

“I find that incredibly hard to believe.” Felix dramatically climbed back onto Seungmin’s bed and flopped onto the mattress. “I mean, have you seen how that man looks at you? Holy shit, dude, if someone looked at me that way—” 

Seungmin interrupted. “Once again, I’m not interested in hearing your weird sexual fantasies about Hyunjin,” he scolded. 

Felix crawled toward his best friend and propped himself up on his elbows. “But I’m interested in hearing yours.” 

“Change the topic immediately or you die.”

  
  



	13. Track 12: Shine a Light

The auditorium was buzzing with chatter as students excitedly scurried around, helping each other with costumes and gathering props. Today was their first full dress rehearsal, and the excitement was electric as everyone waited in anticipation for Ms. Son to shout, “Places!” 

After fifteen minutes of preparations, she finally called for the show to begin. Seungmin confidently began singing ‘Beautiful’, soon joined by the ensemble and eventually the Heathers. Everything ran smoothly and the lights went down so the crew could transition the set for ‘Candy Store’. Felix absolutely slayed as Heather Chandler, and Jisung and Jeongin were perfect to play his counterparts Heather and Heather. Chan, a recent transfer, played Martha, and he did so beautifully. He was the perfect balance of awkward and endearing, and Seungmin already knew the audience would pity Chan during ‘Candy Store’. The song ended, and the next scene began and love him for the remainder of the show. 

Hyunjin took centre stage, stage fighting with Minho and Changbin as Kurt and Ram. His trenchcoat was just extravagant enough to emphasise his movements and gain comedic effect during their fight, especially during the slow motion pieces. When Seungmin finally came onstage, Hyunjin very eloquently blurted out, “Holy shit.” 

“That’s the ensemble’s line,” Ms. Son shouted from the light booth. 

Of course Hyunjin knew this, but he was simply too taken aback by the sight of Seungmin fully in costume and forgot his lines. A blue blazer tightly hugged Seungmin’s waist, and he wore high blue socks with a short grey skirt. To say Hyunjin was unprepared to see this outfit would be an understatement. Suddenly he was no longer nervous for ‘Dead Girl Walking’, he was almost eager to perform the scene. 

Ms. Son sighed. “Everyone, take ten. Hyunjin, come see me for a moment, please.” 

“Thank you, ten!”

  
  



	14. Track 13: Lifeboat

“What the hell was that?” Ms. Son berated Hyunjin. “This scene is normally no problem for you. Why did you suddenly choke? This is the final stretch, Hyunjin, I need 110% effort from you.” 

Hyunjin nodded, staring at his feet. “It won’t happen again, I promise,” he muttered. “I was just… kind of surprised when I saw Seungmin in costume, you know?” 

The director pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “You’re telling me you blanked on all your lines because you saw Seungmin in a short skirt?” 

“Wouldn't you freak out, too, if you saw someone you liked wearing  _ that? _ ” Hyunjin asked, exasperated and embarrassed by the conversation. 

“What?” 

Hyunjin and Ms. Son both looked up and saw Seungmin standing in the doorway with his mic pack in his hands. He had brought it up to the light booth because its batteries had died, and he ended up hearing something he wasn’t meant to. He set the mic pack down next to the lightboard and walked out as fast as he could, not even looking up when Hyunjin called out his name. He just grabbed his bag and walked out. 

Since they no longer had Seungmin for the day, his understudy would have to fill in. Hajoon donned the same Veronica costume and the show picked up again at ‘Fight for Me’. Though the songs and lines were all the same, Hyunjin felt completely different performing these scenes as they were not with Seungmin. 

During ‘Dead Girl Walking’, Hyunjin performed well as always, but the fire was gone. Without Seungmin, the scene didn’t hold the same intensity, and the chemistry between Hyunjin and Hajoon was nonexistent, a stark contrast from the electric tension Hyunjin usually felt with Seungmin. During ‘Seventeen’, Hyunjin seemed somewhat dejected when he was supposed to be in love. It was almost pathetic to see how distant Hyunjin’s mind was. 

They ran through the rest of the show with Hajoon as Veronica, and things went smoothly for the most part aside from Hyunjin's constant expression of worry. Once rehearsal ended, Felix approached Hyunjin on his way out.

"Hey, Hyunjin! Wait up!" He chased after the boy in the parking lot. When he finally caught up, he placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Normally Hyunjin would've found it funny, but he was too preoccupied mentally kicking himself over what he'd accidentally said in front of Seungmin. Finally Felix stood and spoke again. "What happened to Seungmin today?" 

Hyunjin groaned and leaned against his truck. "God, Felix, I'm so stupid," he whined, "He hates me. You know that, right?" Felix nodded. Hyunjin covered his face with his hands and sighed. "He heard me say I like him, and then he just left. Dude, I fucked up so bad. Can you please talk to him for me? He definitely would not want to see me right now." 

Felix placed a hand on Hyunjin's shoulder. "I can try," he offered "But I can't make any promises. And just between you and me, I'm not convinced he hates you, but that's just speculation. He's kind of hard to figure out." 

"Yeah, no kidding." 

  
  



	15. Track 14: Shine a Light (Reprise)

Seungmin returned to rehearsal the next day as if nothing had happened. When Ms. Son called for places, Seungmin stepped out onstage, waving a hand. 

“Hey, I was thinking that since Hajoon had a chance to play Veronica yesterday, we could let Yeonmin play JD today,” he proposed. 

Ms. Son narrowed her eyes suspiciously but nodded anyway. “Somebody go tell Hyunjin he can help light crew up in the cats today,” she demanded, “Yeonmin, get into costume.” 

Jeongin ran offstage to find Hyunjin, who was getting his mic set up and taped to his face. “Hey, Hyunjin,” he greeted. “Yeonmin is playing JD today, and Ms. Son wants you in the catwalks helping the light crew.”

“Wait, why is Yeonmin playing JD? I’m here and I’m ready for rehearsal.” 

Jeongin shrugged. “Seungmin asked if Ms. Son would give Yeonmin a shot since Hajoon played Veronica yesterday.” 

Hyunjin was frustrated. So what? He liked Seungmin, no big deal. Seungmin shouldn’t risk both of their performance integrity just because he was feeling uncomfortable. Despite his hurt and irritation, Hyunjin did as he was told. 

He carried an extension cord over his shoulder as he climbed the ladder up to the catwalks. He was grateful for the glow tape on each rung, because the ladder closet was too dark to see your own hand in front of your face. 

He set the cord down first and hoisted himself up onto the platform. Jaehyun, head of light crew, gave Hyunjin a fist bump as a greeting and beckoned the boy closer. “Hey, you’re gonna be helping with light tinting. Taeil will help you with that. Bring him these cellophane sheets.” He handed Hyunjin a box and turned around. 

Until now, Hyunjin had never realised how high up the catwalks really were. They ran in a grid pattern above the stage and even stretched over the first few rows in the audience but were covered by curtains. A fall to the stage would be catastrophic. It was at least a thirty foot drop. The rickety guardrails offered Hyunjin no reassurance, but he held on anyway. 

He wandered around the cats in search of Taeil. He looked around, but everyone was dressed in all black and it was dark aside from glow tape and the hazy light from the stage lights below them. Hyunjin walked face-first into a bar and stumbled backwards. He was convinced that this was how he’d die, until someone caught him. 

“Did you not see the sign on that bar that says ‘height warning’ and ‘duck’?” Hyunjin turned around to see Taeil. 

With a kind smile, Taeil gestured for Hyunjin to follow him. They sat crouched on the catwalks layering coloured cellophane and applying the film to lights that were not currently in use, since the stage lights could get very hot. 

Hyunjin’s attention drifted toward the stage when he heard Seungmin sing, “Thirty hours to live, how shall I spend them?” He leaned forward a bit to watch the performance from above. He grimaced when he saw Yeonmin onstage in the place where Hyunjin should’ve been. As bothered as he was, Hyunjin couldn’t tear his eyes away. The song continued. “Before they punch my clock, I’m snapping off your window lock. Got no time to knock, I’m a dead girl walking.” This was supposed to be Hyunjin’s scene. He hated the thought of what would come next in the song, but he knew it was inevitable as he had performed it a hundred times now. He only wished he could be in Yeonmin’s place. 

Seungmin tore open his blazer, which began the part of the scene Hyunjin dreaded seeing most. He felt like he’d been punched in the chest when he saw Seungmin kiss Yeonmin. In the same sick way you can’t look away from a car crash, Hyunjin could not refocus his attention. He watched in horror as the scene progressed, jealousy boiling in his veins. But was this really jealousy? Or was he just hurt that Seungmin hated him so much that he’d avoid him at all costs? Either way, Hyunjin felt like shit. 

  
  



	16. Track 15: Kindergarten Boyfriend

Felix approached Seungmin after rehearsal, just like he’d done to Hyunjin. But he hadn’t even let Seungmin get as far as the parking lot. They were still in the auditorium. 

“You called in his understudy?” Felix whisper-yelled, “That’s cold-blooded, Seungmin. It’s not like he was hitting on you or anything, so it doesn’t need to be awkward. You didn’t reject him. Or maybe you did. I mean, you called in his understudy even though  _ he was here _ .” He sat down in a creaky plush seat and motioned for his friend to join him. “Even if you feel all weird about him right now, you have an obligation to everyone who’s worked on this show to actually go through with performing it.” 

Seungmin sat still, pondering Felix’s rant. Was there a right way to respond? If so, Seungmin had yet to find it. “I just feel weird around him,” Seungmin confessed, “Like, he makes me so fucking angry but he’s also so sweet to me. He’s a douchebag who shoves me to the ground or he’s a sweet guy who gives me his shirt. There is no in between with him. It’s easier to fully hate him than to half-hate him and get all confused and weird about it.” 

Felix was about ready to smack his best friend. “You know how I keep telling you you don’t actually hate him?” He said, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, no, no,” Seungmin cut in, “Enough of that shit. Stop trying to convince me I like him. It’s already a stretch for me to say I half-hate him, so don’t push your luck.” 

Little did either of them know, Hyunjin was still in the catwalks above them, helping Taeil with the lights as he couldn’t help but listen. 

It hurt to know that Seungmin half-hated him, but somehow it was a relief as well. It was progress. Half-hate was halfway to tolerating him. And that was enough for Hyunjin, for now. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't post as consistently here as i do on wattpad but sometimes i post extra chapters here before i post them there to try to make up for it oof


	17. Track 16: Yo Girl

Jinyoung sighed when he saw his brother hunched over a bowl at the kitchen table, staring at the wall and stirring his cereal but not eating it. 

“What’s going on, bud?” He asked, taking a seat across from Hyunjin. 

Hyunjin looked up. “I don’t know,” he grumbled, “Seungmin is still avoiding me. He won’t even text me back. He said he only half-hates me, but he’s acting like he hates me even more than he did before.”

“Who’s Seungmin…?”

As humiliating as the memory was, Hyunjin knew the only association Jinyoung had with Seungmin was the memory of their ‘Dead Girl Walking’ rehearsal. As soon as he mentioned it, his brother burst out laughing. Hyunjin shoved his bowl of sad, soggy cereal aside and rested his head on the kitchen table. “It’s not funny,” he grumbled, “I think I really messed up. He already hated me, and now he hates me even more.” 

“ _ Half _ -hate,” Jinyoung corrected. He scooted to the next chair over so he was next to his brother. “As much as I felt the need to bleach my eyes after what I saw you two doing, I know there ain’t no way a boy can hate you and then kiss you like  _ that _ . Dude, he probably likes you.”

Hyunjin smacked his brother’s shoulder. “It was for the musical,” he reminded. “He only kissed me like that because his character likes mine.” He shrugged and pouted. “He doesn’t like me, and I know that for a fact.” 

Jinyoung smacked his little brother on the back of his head. “So do something to change it, you mopey dipshit. If you want him to like you back, give him a reason to,” he scolded. 

  
  



	18. Track 17: Meant to Be Yours

“Hey, Felix,” Hyunjin whispered into the phone, “Are you with Seungmin right now?” 

Felix snorted. “Yeah. We’re at my house. I’ll text you my address.” 

That was easy. “Don’t tell him I’m coming,” Hyunjin instructed, “Or else he might run away from me again.” 

“Got it. Bye!” 

Seungmin removed the pillow from over his face. “Who was that?” He whined, “They interrupted my complaining time.” 

Felix lied, “The cute boy from rehearsal I told you about. He’s coming over.” He knew Seungmin would freak out if he knew it was Hyunjin, especially considering the bombshell he’d dropped only minutes earlier. He finally admitted that he liked Hyunjin, “just a little bit”.

“Oh, Changbin?” 

Felix nodded. Seungmin stood up and replaced the pillows he’d thrown off the couch. 

The Australian called out, “Wait, where are you going?” 

Seungmin shrugged and answered, “I’m not super interested in being here while you two eat each other’s faces, but thanks anyway.” Felix grabbed his backpack strap and pulled Seungmin back into the living room. 

“No,” Felix shouted, “He wants to meet you, too. I’ve told him a lot about you.” 

“Fine.” Seungmin plopped back down on the couch and began scrolling through his social media sites as he begrudgingly waited. 

After ten minutes, the doorbell rang. Felix hopped off the couch so fast you’d have thought he was doing a toaster impression. “I’ll get it!” Seungmin rolled his eyes and continued staring at his phone while Felix welcomed their guest. 

He looked up when he felt the couch dip next to him. Immediately he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. “You guys tricked me,” he growled. “This is bullshit.” He stood to leave but Hyunjin wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist to prevent him from doing so. 

“Please stay,” he pleaded, “I really need to talk to you. Please.” He let go and set Seungmin gently back on the couch. Seungmin raised an eyebrow expectantly, waiting for Hyunjin to speak up. His stoic expression faltered when Hyunjin lowered his head and whimpered, “I’m so sorry.” 

Instantly Seungmin felt bad. “No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong,” he crooned, “Why are you apologising?” 

Hyunjin took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry I made things weird. I’m sorry you found out the way you did. I’m sorry I scared you away—”

“No.” Hyunjin looked up at the boy when he heard his stern voice. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he repeated. “ _ I _ should be the one apologising to  _ you _ .” 

The elder cast his gaze toward the rug and timidly asked, “Seungmin, why do you hate me so much? What did I do?” 

Seungmin froze. Why  _ did _ he hate Hyunjin? He managed to choke out barely coherent sentences in response. “You– I… When we were in middle school, everybody liked you. You were so  _ perfect _ .” He practically spat the last word. “You were nice, too nice. I didn’t believe you. Nobody is that good. But you were always getting attention, you got good grades, girls and guys liked you, teachers were proud of you, you were hot as fuck, and you had good friends – it looked like you had everything. And I hated you for it.” He sighed. “And then you started being an asshole, but only to me. So it felt like I had a legit reason to hate you instead of just being a petty bitch because I thought you were fake.”

“You know…” Hyunjin stared at his feet. “I was only ever mean to you because I heard you thought I was too nice. I thought maybe you’d like me more if I wasn’t nice to you.” 

The younger boy’s jaw dropped. Hesitantly, he looked back at Felix and grabbed Hyunjin’s hand, leading him outside. They climbed into Hyunjin’s truck, and Seungmin took a deep breath. 

“Well, if you still want to be mean to me you’d better do it soon,” he demanded, “Because this is the only time I will ever tell you I like you.”

  
  



	19. Track 18: Dead Girl Walking (Reprise)

Hyunjin released the parking brake and sped off toward Seungmin’s house. They arrived fairly quickly, and they nervously went inside, climbing the stairs to Seungmin’s room. 

As soon as his door shut, he was roughly pushed up against it. Hyunjin leaned down and whispered in Seungmin’s ear, “Do you still want me to be mean to you, baby? If you say yes there’s no going back.” His hand drifted up Seungmin’s torso and settled at the base of his throat as he awaited a response. 

When Seungmin breathed a quiet, “yes”, Hyunjin mentally rejoiced. He slammed his lips against Seungmin’s, pushing the boy harder against the door. He pulled away for a moment only to instruct Seungmin to jump up. Hyunjin caught him and pushed him even more roughly as the younger wrapped his legs around Hyunjin’s waist. Their kiss was messy, desperate, and frantic, but it was all they wanted. Seungmin tangled his fingers in Hyunjin’s dark hair, yanking hard as Hyunjin deepened the kiss. His tongue roamed Seungmin’s mouth, and though they’d kissed like this before it felt completely different. Maybe because instead of kissing to follow a script’s instructions, this time it was on their terms. Hyunjin was grateful for the fact. He had the cutest boy in the world in his arms, and he was not about to miss any opportunity with him. 

Hyunjin turned on his heel without breaking the kiss and carried Seungmin to his bed, where he laid the boy down gently. He slowly pulled away, staring down at a breathless Seungmin. He placed a gentle kiss on the boy’s cheek, followed by another kiss on his jaw, and eventually he trailed kisses down Seungmin’s neck, occasionally stopping to bite the sensitive skin or leave marks. Seungmin whimpered and tried to stifle any other sound he might make as Hyunjin slipped a hand beneath his shirt. “Off,” he commanded against Seungmin’s neck. 

Of course Seungmin obeyed, hurriedly removing his shirt and throwing it across the room. Hyunjin leaned in for another kiss, but Seungmin placed a finger on his lips. “You too,” he whispered, pulling on the hem of Hyunjin’s t-shirt. He looked at the ground, though he could tell Hyunjin was smirking as he slowly peeled off his shirt and flung it somewhere. 

Seungmin hesitantly placed a hand on Hyunjin’s chest, over his heart. Hyunjin smirked and lowered himself slowly to kiss Seungmin’s collarbone, earning him a shaky breath and a tiny voice whispering “please”. Hyunjin bit down harshly, smiling when Seungmin yelped and gripped tightly onto Hyunjin’s back, not expecting the sudden roughness. The action only motivated Hyunjin. He bit and sucked on the skin, determined to leave a lasting mark. Once satisfied, he left one final dark hickey just above Seungmin’s hipbone. The entire time he was focused on claiming what was his, Seungmin was trying hard not to let Hyunjin see the effect it had on him. But when the elder bit down hard on his final mark, Seungmin couldn’t suppress the soft moan that tumbled from his lips. 

Hyunjin was proud. He moved so that he was once again hovering over Seungmin, and he smirked. “Now why didn’t I get to hear that before, baby?” He teased, “I know you were trying not to. But I like hearing you.” He whispered the last part, letting his lips graze Seungmin’s ear as he spoke. The younger boy shuddered under the touch and pulled Hyunjin in for another kiss. Hyunjin held Seungmin’s hip with one hand as the other roamed his chest, lightly tracing over the marks he’d left. 

Seungmin had given up on staying quiet by now. He yelped when Hyunjin dug his nails into his hip, the sound surprising even himself. He placed his hands against Hyunjin’s chest and pushed him away lightly. 

“As fun as this is,” he panted, “We should stop for now, before we get carried away. I know for a fact you haven’t done your math homework yet, and we have an exam tomorrow. And our final dress rehearsal!”

Hyunjin smirked, ghosting his fingertips over the hickeys on Seungmin’s neck and chest. “Well, the makeup crew is gonna have a fun time fixing you up tomorrow,” he mused, “But I hope they leave them. They’re pretty.” 

Seungmin kissed Hyunjin one final time before bidding him farewell. As soon as the boy was gone, Seungmin shoved his face in a pillow and screamed. It took a long ass time, but he finally admitted he liked Hyunjin. Like, a lot. 

  
  



	20. Track 19: I am Damaged

“Makeup crew!” Ms. Son shouted. Kim Taehyung, head of the crew, ran to her side. She looked at him and asked, “Why does Veronica have hickeys for the whole show? If you did that after ‘Dead Girl Walking’ so he has them when Heather dies, that’ll be fine.” 

Taehyung kicked the carpet beneath his feet awkwardly. “We didn’t do that,” he whispered, “We just couldn’t cover them up.”

Ms. Son nodded and began screaming again. “Let’s run the whole show again from the top. Places!” 

Seungmin was nervous but excited. This was only a dress rehearsal, so he should’ve saved his nerves for opening night. After all, Hyunjin’s parents would be there. He took a deep breath and pushed the thought away when he heard the music begin. 

“September 1st, 1989. Dear diary, I believe I’m a good person. You know, I think that there’s good in everyone, but here we are – first day of senior year!” He recited his lines perfectly. “And, uh, I look around at these kids that I’ve known all my life, and I ask myself, ‘What happened?’” The ensemble shuffled onstage, all playing their roles flawlessly. The song continued. 

“Ram Sweeney,” Seungmin announced, gesturing at Changbin. “Third year as linebacker and eighth year of smacking lunch trays and being a huge dick.” The song continued, and Seungmin performed a similar dig at Minho’s character. “Kurt Kelly, quarterback. He is the smartest guy on the football team… which is kind of like being the tallest dwarf.” The rest of the song flowed seamlessly, as did the transition into ‘Candy Store’. Felix, Jisung, and Jeongin had powerful stage presence as the Heathers, intimidating Seungmin and Chan as Veronica and Martha. 

Seungmin already knew the audience would love hearing Felix sing “I’m feeling nice, here’s some advice. Listen up, byotch!” 

By the end of the number, Seungmin was feeling confident for tomorrow night’s show. He snuck glances at Hyunjin from the wings and made faces from where he knew the imaginary audience couldn’t see him. They were both awaiting the beginning of ‘Fight for Me’, which was their first song together, even though Seungmin was the only person who sang. 

Hyunjin seemed tense after ‘Freeze Your Brain’ as he and Seungmin sat together backstage awaiting the set change for ‘Big Fun’. Seungmin ran his hands through the boy’s hair and placed gentle kisses on his face, only relaxing when Hyunjin giggled and pulled him in for a real kiss. As nervous as he was, Seungmin managed to calm him down quickly. 

He’d definitely need this tomorrow. 

  
  



	21. Track 20: Seventeen (Reprise)

Hyunjin was grateful that the stage lights were too bright for him to see the audience. Even when the lights went down to prepare for ‘Dead Girl Walking’, he couldn’t see. He climbed onto his platform and awaited his cue. 

“The demon queen of high school has decreed it. She says Monday, 8am, I’ll be deleted.” Seungmin’s voice was clear and confident. Hyunjin tried not to smile, proud of the other boy. “Here’s an option that I like: spend these 30 hours getting freaky. I need it hard, I’m a dead girl walking. I’m in your yard, I’m a dead girl walking. Before they punch my clock, I’m snapping off your window lock. Got no time to knock, I’m a dead girl walking.” 

Hyunjin pretended to wake up as Seungmin entered his room. “Veronica,” he said, voice groggy. “What are you doing in my room?” The younger shushed him and continued singing. 

“Sorry, but I really had to wake you. See, I’ve decided I must ride you till I break you,” he sang, fighting back a cheeky grin. “‘Cause Heather says I gots to go. You’re my last meal on death row. Shut your mouth and lose them tighty whities. Come on!” He approached Hyunjin slowly and seductively, perfectly in character. “Tonight I’m yours, I’m your dead girl walking. Get on all fours, kiss this dead girl walking.” He shoved Hyunjin to his knees, and Hyunjin trailed his hands up Seungmin’s thighs to rest on his hips beneath his skirt. 

Really, it was fortunate that Hyunjin’s crush had been cast as his love interest. He allowed himself to get lost in the feeling of kissing Seungmin and the younger boy grinding on him. Had it been anyone else, Hyunjin would be afraid of what his family was thinking of him. But with Seungmin, his worries disappeared beyond the boy’s plush lips. The scene ended perfectly, and the audience roared as the lights dimmed. 

The number being over was a huge relief for the two leads. It was the most risqué number in the show, and they’d performed it perfectly. After this, they were guaranteed smooth sailing for the rest of the show. 

During ‘Seventeen’, Hyunjin and Seungmin performed the song better than ever before. They really appeared to be two teenagers hopelessly head over heels for each other. Unbeknownst to the audience, they really were. The sweetness of the song brought a few people in the audience to tears, and as the song ended Hyunjin pulled Seungmin into a gentle kiss, despite a kiss not being scripted. He didn’t pull away until the stage had gone dark. 

Finally, the show was nearing its end. ‘I am Damaged’ was a powerful number, and the audience was on the edge of their seats as the emotional scene played out before them. 

“I am damaged, far too damaged. But you’re not beyond repair.” Hyunjin’s voice quivered as he sang, highlighting the tension JD was experiencing in the scene, clutching the bomb in both hands. He shooed Seungmin away slightly as he sang, “Please stand back now. Little further. Don’t know what this thing will do. Hope you miss me, wish you’d kiss me, then you’d know I worship you. I’ll trade my life for yours. And once I disappear, clean up the mess down here.” Seungmin froze and made eye contact with Hyunjin. 

“Say hi to God,” he sang. Instantly, a loud sound effect played and the lights abruptly went out. Once more, a few people were crying in the audience at the severity of JD’s death scene. 

The whole cast (sans the dead characters) gathered onstage for the finale. They sang their hearts out, a beautiful performance in which Veronica and Martha’s friendship began to be repaired after all the damage it had taken since Veronica befriended the Heathers. 

The song ended, and the audience applauded furiously, cheering and whistling. 

  
  



	22. Finale: Curtain Call

As Seungmin and Hyunjin waited in the wings for curtain call, Seungmin stood on his toes to kiss Hyunjin again. He wrapped his arms around the boy’s neck and kissed him passionately in the dark. Hyunjin pulled away first and bit his lip nervously. 

“Listen, I know this is sudden, and I know you hated me until recently, but I need to ask you before I psych myself out and don’t have the courage to do it. If I don’t do it now, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to. Seungmin, will you be my boyfriend?” Hyunjin blurted out. Seungmin nodded and pulled his now boyfriend in for another kiss. He’d never get tired of kissing Hyunjin, but he knew he’d have to pull away soon because they concluded the bows and would need to be onstage in a few seconds. 

They ran out onstage together, smiling brightly under the lights. They bowed together, and Hyunjin grabbed Seungmin by the waist, kissing him and spinning around as he did so. The audience roared at the sight, proud of how well the two leads had performed. The cast praised their director and crew before the lights went out again and everyone began shuffling out of the auditorium. Once Hyunjin and Seungmin had changed out of their costumes, they walked out to the lobby holding hands, in search of Hyunjin’s family. 

It only took a few minutes to find them, and Hyunjin held Seungmin’s hand tighter as they approached the Hwang family. He scanned his parents’ faces, unable to read their expressions. After a minute or so, his mother smiled and hugged her son. 

“Good job, Hyunjin,” she praised, “You’re a very talented performer.” Hyunjin smiled and fought back joyful tears. 

His father wasn’t really one for emotions, so he forced a smile and clapped a hand over his son’s shoulder. “Proud of you, son.” 

Jinyoung was last. He punched Hyunjin in the arm and shouted incoherently as he and his brother wrestled a bit. “And you,” Jinyoung said, pointing at Seungmin, “You’re one hell of a performer, kid.” Seungmin thanked him shyly. “You know, Hyunjin, I think I was right about this guy liking you, because I looked this show up and I know you two kissed far more than you should’ve– at least, according to the script.” 

“Actually…” Hyunjin squeezed Seungmin’s hand reassuringly. “We’re dating.” 

His mother pulled Seungmin into a bone-crushing hug. “You were fantastic.” 

For once, Seungmin didn’t mind that his parents hadn’t attended his performance. He felt fine in Hyunjin’s presence. He felt appreciated and loved. And he couldn’t ask for more. 

  
**end**

thank you for reading!


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